Microsoft's first ever flagship store open for business

Global technology company Microsoft is this week opening the doors to its first flagship store, in the heart of Manhattan, New York.

Located at Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street, the five-floor, 22,369 sq ft store features an assortment of products and services which will be familiar to visitors of the business's 110 smaller retail locations, as well as offering customers new interactive experiences in what iis hoped will create immersive retail experiences.

The flagship store is Microsoft's largest shop to date, and it houses an 'Answer Desk', which will provide a place to go for technical questions, troubleshooting and repairs regardless of device or where it was purchased. High-definition video walls and digital signage feature throughout the shop to engage directly with visitors, while streaming videos, images and other marketing information.

More prominently, a two-storey video wall behind the Answer Desk can be seen on either one of the two floors, while customers will also be able to play Xbox One on video walls while surrounded by directional sound. An in-store community theatre features a large plasma touchscreen running Windows that can be used during store or customer training sessions.

In a nod to the local area, there has also been a 'culture wall' installed outside, which has been designed to display digital imagery representative of the Fifth Avenue shopping district culture. It is set to showcase non-commercial, artistic images that Microsoft says are in-keeping with their surroundings.

David Porter, corporate vice president for worldwide retail and online stores at Microsoft, said: "Our store on Fifth Avenue – as well as every other one of our locations across the US, Puerto Rico and Canada – is here to showcase the best of Microsoft to the local community.

"We exist to build relationships with our customers, one person at a time, and we are excited to do that on Fifth Avenue starting today."

Day-one customers will be able to access a number of deals, including special offers for Surface devices and Xbox One. Meanwhile, the first 1,000 people in line will receive complimentary tickets to attend Microsoft's community concert featuring Pitbull at Rockefeller Center, which takes place this evening.